Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Extinct species spotted in Petersfield shocker

Petersfield Newswire has received an extraordinary photograph from one of our “adoring” readers, who couldn't believe his luck.

Ivor Fyne was both the luckiest and the unluckiest man in Petersfield yesterday and has the photographic evidence to prove it.

Fyne told us: “I got a bloody parking ticket. I was parked outside the Post Office for a couple of hours, in what used to be a 30-minute slot - but as we all know you can pretty much ignore that. When along comes the old bill and bingo, I've got a ticket.”

While such a scenario is extraordinary in itself, Fyne remains upbeat after benefiting from the sight of two rare occurrences happening simultaneously – rather like an eclipse.

“It was as I was taking a snap of the copper writing my ticket, I noticed that despite it being the middle of the day, and not a bank holiday or a Sunday ... there was no queue outside the Post Office,” said a dumbfounded Fyne.

Fyne now has a picture of this doubly unlikely event, which could be worth thousands to a collector of such unusual historical events. He could consequently make a substantial profit from the day - and the parking ticket will be a mere trifle in comparison.

Commenting on the presence of a police officer in the town, a spokesman for Hampshire Constabulary explained: “We had to have an officer in Petersfield at some time. The ConDem government is looking to cut 25 per cent of all police on the beat. And even a primary school child knows that a quarter of nothing is still nothing.

“This allows us to tick a few boxes after the comprehensive cutting review.”